Storm surge breaker system, barrier system and method of constructing same

ABSTRACT

A surge breaker and barrier system comprising a surge breaker wall on a first surface of a concrete floatable structure, a surge barrier wall, substantially watertight, spaced from the breaker wall on the second surface of a concrete floatable structure and an anchor for fixing the floatable concrete structure or structures at a predetermined location.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/000,187 filed on Oct. 24, 2007, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to systems to serve as storm Surge Breakers, storm Surge Barriers and to methods of constructing same.

2. Description of Prior Art

The lesson of a catastrophic hurricane such as Hurricane Katrina, or for that matter lesser storms, is that in coastal areas subject to damage from tidal surges, high wave action, etc., generated by such storms, tsunamis, etc., there is a need for systems that can be easily fabricated and installed at a desired location, e.g., along a levee, mouth of a bay, etc., to achieve maximum protection by acting as a tidal surge breaker and a tidal surge barrier.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment, the present invention can provide a surge breaker and barrier system which can include a surge breaker wall on a first surface of a concrete, floatable and preferably, ballastable structure, a barrier wall spaced from the breaker wall on a second surface of a concrete floatable and preferably, ballastable structure and an anchor for fixing the floatable concrete structure(s) at a predetermined location.

In yet another embodiment, the present invention provides a dual wall system comprising a wave or surge break wall disposed seaward of a shoreline or the like to be protected and a substantially watertight surge wall between the shoreline or the like and the wave break wall, i.e., spaced a distance depending upon the environment landward of the surge break wall. The wall systems or floatable concrete structures can be pinned, ballasted or otherwise anchored in a floating position or on the seabed or seafloor to resist sliding or horizontal forces whereby the surge break wall takes the forces of the wave off of the surge barrier wall. The surge break wall is designed primarily to take the dynamic forces generated by tidal surge as opposed to the hydrostatic head of the surge while the surge barrier wall is designed primarily to take the forces generated by the hydrostatic head, i.e., of the tidal surge. The surge breaker, surge barrier system of the present invention splits the forces of the tidal surge and allows the heights of the respective walls to be reduced.

In another embodiment, the invention can provide a method of forming a surge breaker and barrier system wherein a surge breaker wall on a first surface of a concrete floatable structure is positioned at a predetermined location, seaward of a shoreline which it is desired to protect; providing a barrier wall on a second surface of a concrete floatable structure, the barrier wall being spaced from the breaker wall and positioned landward of the surge breaker wall and anchoring the concrete structure(s) in the predetermined location.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an side, elevational view, partly in section of one embodiment of the surge breaker and surge barrier (SBSB System) of the present invention.

FIGS. 2-17 show steps in the construction and installation of an SBSB System substantially according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 18 and 19 are elevational views, partly in section, showing the SBSB System substantially as shown in FIG. 1 responding to tidal surging and flow back.

FIG. 20 is an elevational view, partly in section, showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 21-25 show another embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 26 and 27 show installation of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 28 is a top plan view of the system shown in FIG. 27.

FIG. 29 is a top plan view of an array of surge break clusters of the present invention.

FIG. 30 is a top plan view of another embodiment of the present invention installed in place to protect a shoreline, lagoon or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring first to FIG. 1, there is shown one embodiment of the present invention in an installed condition. The SBSB System comprises a concrete, floatable structure or barge 10 which can comprise a hull having a series of compartments 12 which can be selectively ballastable with rocks, water or other ballasting material, as desired. It will be understood that typically the ballasting system would be water and that various valves, pumps and the like could be utilized to ensure proper ballasting of the concrete structure 10 so that it was trimmed properly. Spud piles 14 positioned on either side of the hull 11 are driven into the seabed 15 and are connected to the hull 11 to provide fixation of the hull 11 through the tidal range to prevent vertical movement of hull 11 with changes in tide. Additionally, the spud piles 14 also serve the purpose, to some extent, of preventing lateral or horizontal movement of the hull 11. Batter piles 16 extend into hull 11 through sleeves 18 fixed in hull 11 to anchor hull 11 against lateral movement.

As shown in FIG. 1, the seaward side of the SBSB System 10 is to the right of the drawing while the landward side is to the left. Seaward of the SBSB System 10 is spaced sheet piling 20 and 22 driven into the seabed 15. Between sheet pile 20 and 22 is combi wall 24 which as well known to those skilled in the art generally comprises pipe or some vertical tubular member 26 connected by sheets 28 (see FIG. 2) and is commonly used to build various marine barrier or anti-seepage systems as is well known to those skilled in the art. Combi wall 24 is encapsulated in concrete 30 which is poured between sheet pile 20 and 22.

Attached to hull 11 are a series of spaced corbels 32 which, as seen, rest on combi wall 24 and can be attached thereto by welding or other securing means. As will be seen hereafter, concrete 30 is poured in place once sheet pile 20 and 22 have been driven and combi wall 24 is in place and hull 11 is positioned as shown in FIG. 1. Concrete section 30 serves to interlock or integrate combi wall 24, sheet pile 20 and 22 and corbels 32 and provide a corbel cap 33 into the hull 11. In effect, the sheet piles 20 and 22 in conjunction with combi wall 24, corbels 32 provide a continuous line of watertight structure from the top of the sheet pile 20, 22 to the bottom of the sheet pile 20, 22. As well, once batter pile 16 are in place, a concrete batter pile cap 34 is poured providing an integrated system between the hull 11, the pile cap 34 and the batter pile 16. As seen, pile cap 34 becomes an extension of the top surface 36 of hull 11.

Secured to and generally poured in place albeit that they can be precast, are a first series of buttresses or counterforts 36, buttresses 36 being used to support precast concrete panels 38 which as shown are provided with perforations or openings 41 (flow through) to permit tidal surge from passing through panels 38 serving the purpose of essentially dissipating the forces of the tidal surge while at the same time preventing undue stressing of the panels 38 by the forces of the tidal surge.

Precast and/or poured in place buttresses 40 support barrier panels 43 which can be precast and attached to rebar (not shown) protruding from pile cap 34 or can be poured in place once pile cap 34 is installed.

Extending from pile cap 34 and resting on a portion of hull 11 are supports 42 which can be formed integrally with hull 11 or can be precast and attached to the pile cap 34 and hull 11 by means of rebar or the like to provide a strong, integrated structure. Resting on supports 42, are precast roadbed sections 44 which can be secured to supports 42 and pile cap 34 by a variety of methods well know to those skilled in the art.

Turning now to FIGS. 2-17, there is shown a series of steps for constructing and installing an SBSB System which is similar structurally to SBSB System 10 shown in FIG. 1 but which instead of floating as SBSB System 10 shown in FIG. 1 is resting on a prepared surface formed in seabed 16. However, in other respects the system shown in FIG. 17 is essentially that shown in FIG. 1. Referring then to FIG. 2, it can be seen that sheet pile 20 and 22 have been driven in spaced relationship with combi wall 24 also driven in position therebetween. Additionally, it can be seen that the spacing between sheet pile 20 and 22 has been grouted with suitable concrete or grouting 30 from seabed 16 downwardly into the subsurface. Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, it can be seen that a SBSB System 10 such as shown in FIG. 1, is being floated into place to position bearing corbels 32 above combi wall 24.

FIG. 6 shows two hulls 11 which have been positioned with corbels 32 positioned over combi wall 24 and a third hull 11 being floated into place hulls 11 having compartments 12 for ballast 13. As shown in FIG. 7, spud pile 14 positioned in registering notches (see FIG. 6) on either side of hulls 11 is being driven into place in seabed 15.

Turning now to FIG. 8, it can be seen that batter pile 16 is being driven through the sleeves 18 in hull 11 to prevent any lateral movement of hull 11 which, as seen, is now ballasted and resting on seabed 15 which can be a prepared foundation made from gravel and other such structures commonly used to form a below water prepared surface for receiving a sinkable structure.

FIG. 9 is a variation of the system shown in FIG. 8 in that, whereas in FIG. 8, hull 11 is resting on the surface 15 of the seabed 16, in FIG. 9 hull 11 is floating as shown in FIG. 1. However, in both cases the hulls 11 are anchored.

In FIGS. 10 and 11, the arrangement depicted in FIG. 9 is shown in plan view with pile cap 34 and concrete section 80 forming corbel cap 33 having been poured in place. As can also be seen, notches 56 are formed in pile cap 34 to permit road section supports 42 to be poured in place or precast and attached to pile cap 34.

Referring now to FIGS. 12 and 13, FIG. 12 being a top plan view of the system shown in FIG. 13, it can be seen that surge panels 38 have been installed using rebar 43 extending from an encircling reinforced rebar perimeter 62 forming part of pile cap 34 essentially forming a monolithic structure with hull 11. Gaps 60 between walls 43 have been left to receive support gussets or counterforts 40. With reference now to FIGS. 14 and 15, it can be seen that all of gussets 40 and barrier walls 43, on the portion shown in FIG. 14, have been installed and some of the gussets 36 have likewise been installed. With reference to FIGS. 16 and 17, FIG. 16 being the top plan view of FIG. 17, at least some of the roadway sections 44 have been installed on and affixed to supports 42.

Turning now to FIGS. 18 and 19, the installed system of FIG. 17 is shown when being subjected to a tidal surge. As can be seen, as the tidal surge 70 impacts breaker walls 38, flow through the apertures 41 prevents the panels 38 from sustaining all of the forces of the surge 70 but nonetheless dissipates the energy in the tidal surge 70 to the point that a relatively quiescent pool 72 forms between breaker wall 38 and barrier wall 43. Thus, for all intents and purposes the forces acting on barrier panels 43 are largely the hydrostatic head in the pool 72. Thus, the total energy of the tidal surge 70 comprised of the dynamic force exerted by the moving water and the static force exerted by the hydrostatic head has been substantially split with most of the dynamic force having been taken up by the breaker wall 38. As can best be seen from FIG. 20, as the tidal surge 70 subsides, the flow through openings 41 plus flow under the bottom of panels 38 permits the pool 72 to empty as indicated by the arrows.

FIG. 20 shows another embodiment of the present invention shown generally as 10A which differs primarily from the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in that the gussets 36 a are supporting vertical breaker walls 38A having pass through apertures 41A. This is to be contrasted with the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 wherein the breaker walls 38 are inclined, i.e., some of the dynamic force exerted by the tidal surge is dissipated as a vertical force vector. In FIG. 20, barrier walls 43A are supported by gussets 40A while roadway sections 44A are anchored to spaced columns 74 and supports 45 which can be integrally or monolithically formed with barrier walls 43A and/or gussets 40A to support road sections 40A.

FIGS. 21-25 show the construction and installation of another embodiment of the present invention. Referring then to FIG. 21, sheet pile 76 has been driven through a prepared bed 78 on seabed floor 15, bed 78 being made of gravel or the like to provide a stable foundation. A concrete hull 80 having compartments 82 for ballasting has been floated into place and positioned over bed 78 but spaced from sheet pile 76. FIG. 22, shows that compartments 82 have been ballasted with ballast 84 which as shown is gravel or the like but would typically be water, such that hull 80 now rests on bed 78. As shown, two such hulls 80 are positioned on opposite sides of sheet pile 76. In FIG. 23, piles 86 have been driven through suitable sleeves in hulls 80, through prepared bed 78 and into seabed 15 to a desired depth. Again, the number, spacing type, etc., of such piles 86 can vary over wide limits depending upon the particular environment, soil conditions, etc., in which the system is being installed. Further, although the piles 86 are shown as being generally vertical, it will be understood that batter piles could be used as well. FIG. 23 shows the hulls 80 in place.

Referring now to FIGS. 24 and 25, a suitable concrete or grout 90 is poured in the spacing between the hulls 80 at least up to the top level of the sheet pile 76. This is followed by a poured in place sheet cap 92 over the top of the sheet pile 76 and grout 90 which encapsulate grout 90 to essentially form a single structure comprised of the two hull sections 80. Once again, and as in all of the embodiments one of the goals is to construct integrated virtually monolithic structure forming the SBSB System in the sense that the components or the structure are tied together mechanically or by whatever technique chosen. The embodiment shown in FIG. 24 could act as a barrier system or as a breaker system. In this regard, wall 94 could be a watertight wall 96 suggested by gussets 96 spaced along the length and on either side of wall 94. Alternatively, wall 94 could be a perforated wall to act as a breaker wall to allow a flow through of the tidal surge. As seen, hulls 80 have been positioned, i.e., anchored by ballast and pile, and rest on a prepared foundation or bed 98 in an excavated portion 15A of seabed 15.

FIGS. 26 and 27 depict a slightly different embodiment of the present invention which, like the embodiment shown in FIG. 24 or 25, could be used either as a breaker wall or as a barrier wall. Turning then to FIG. 26, a hull 100 is being floated into place over a prepared bed 104 in seafloor 15. As in the case of virtually all the embodiments, hull 100 is provided with pile sleeves 106 for receipt of piles. Hull 100 has gussets 108 which support a wall 110, wall 110, as noted, serving either as a surge breaker wall if it has flowthrough apertures or spaces or as a barrier wall if it is substantially watertight. In FIG. 27, it can be seen that hull 100 is now resting on bed 104 and piles 112 have been driven through sleeves 106, bed 104 and into the subsurface below bed 104. As shown, some of the piles 114 are in position while others of the piles 114 are being driven through the sleeves 106, the prepared bed 104, etc. As noted, wall 110 can either have flowthrough apertures and be a breaker wall or be watertight and be a barrier wall. Furthermore, it will be understood that in the event that wall 94 shown in FIGS. 24 and 25 and 110 shown in FIGS. 26 and 27 is a breaker wall, it can be disposed at an angle such as the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 to convert some of the horizontal force of the tidal surge into a vertical force vector.

FIGS. 28 and 29 show an embodiment where the walls 110 as shown in FIGS. 26 and 27 or the walls 94 shown in FIGS. 24 and 25 are breaker walls, the walls being depicted as 110 for purposes of simplicity. As shown in FIG. 28, there are a plurality of three hulls 100 which have been arranged and connected in side-by-side disposition to form a cluster C of hulls 100.

In FIG. 29, clusters C each formed of four such hulls 100 have been arrayed in a pattern seaward of a shoreline or the like to be protected. Assuming that the tidal surge is moving in the direction of arrow A, there is no direct path or channel to the landward side. Thus the surge will be forced through a tortious path indicated by arrows B as it passes between the clusters C toward the shoreline or the like. It will be understood that in the embodiment shown in FIG. 29, forcing the tidal surge to follow a tortious path wherein the force from the surge is directed against the walls 110 largely dissipates the energy of the tidal surge. Additionally, when the walls 110 are provided with flowthrough apertures further energy dissipation occurs such that the water which is moving toward the shoreline after it has passed the array of cluster C, has lost most of the dynamic energy of the tidal surge meaning that a watertight barrier wall need only substantially withstand hydrostatic head as opposed to any substantial dynamic forces.

FIG. 30 shows a shoreline 140 at least partially defining a lagoon, bay or sound 142, the mouth 144 of which has a continuous barrier wall system which again could be made up of walls 10 which have no flowthrough apertures thereby forming a substantially watertight barrier mounted as shown in FIGS. 24-27 on suitable hulls, e.g., hulls 100. As can be seen, there is no direct path between the tidal surge moving in the direction of arrow H which is to the seaward side of the cluster C which can directly impact the barrier walls 110 without having had substantially all of the dynamic energy of the surge dissipated by breaker walls 110 mounted upon hulls 100. Again, the tidal surge, stripped of most of its dynamic energy flows through a tortious path or paths as indicated by the arrow B. In effect, the tortious paths can be considered flow through of the breaker system.

It will be appreciated that rather than a lagoon 142 or the like, the continuous barrier wall formed by walls 110 could be positioned adjacent a sea shore as opposed to the mouth of a lagoon such as shown in FIG. 30, and would extend for any predetermined distance as dictated by the area to be protected, elevation of the shoreline and other such parameters. While as shown in FIG. 30, the surge breaker system and the surge barrier system are on separate hulls, it is to be understood that FIG. 30 simply shows a variation of the general concept of a system having a surge breaker wall and a surge barrier wall spaced from one another, the breaker wall serving to dissipate most if not substantially all of the dynamic force of the tidal surge, the barrier wall system serving to withstand hydrostatic head and provide a substantially watertight seal against the ingress of water onto the shoreline.

The foregoing description and examples illustrate selected embodiments of the present invention. In light thereof, variations and modifications will be suggested to one skilled in the art, all of which are in the spirit and purview of this invention. 

1. A surge breaker and barrier system comprising: a surge breaker wall on a first surface of a concrete, floatable structure; a barrier wall spaced from said breaker wall on a second surface of a concrete floatable structure; an anchor for anchoring said floatable concrete structure at a predetermined location.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein said surge breaker wall comprises a plurality of first concrete panels having flow through openings and said barrier wall comprises a plurality of second concrete panels.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein said anchor comprises at least one piling, at least partially received in said concrete structure.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein said anchor comprises a ballasting material in said concrete structure.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein said surge breaker wall and said barrier wall are on the same concrete floatable structure.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein there is an elevated roadway supported on said concrete floatable structure.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein said surge breaker wall is on a first one of said concrete structures and said barrier wall is on a second one of said concrete structures.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein there are a plurality of said first concrete structures and a plurality of said second concrete structures.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein there are interconnected clusters of said first concrete structures arranged in a spaced array seaward of said second concrete structures and said plurality of second concrete structures are interconnected and are positioned over a predetermined distance and said barrier walls on said second concrete structures form a continuous, substantially watertight wall over said predetermined distance.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein said array of second clusters are positioned to provide a tortious path between the seaward side of said first floatable structures and said continuous wall formed on said second plurality of second concrete structures. 